This tree with its white flowers is planted for ornamental purposes as well as for firewood and livestock feed. White Popinac Tree are part of the flora in Kukkarahalli Lake in Mysore and also found abundantly in other parts of India.
This tree belongs to the mimosoidae* family. It is a tropical tree native to Central America and is also known as Subabul, Leucaena leucocephala, Lead tree and Jumbay. The tree largely helps to regulate Nitrogen in the atmosphere.
Popinac seeds germinate only when it is soaked in boiling water for 48 hours. Sow the seeds and it will sprout after 7 to 14 days.
Popinac trees bloom during summer and the shape of the flowers are round and 1 inch in size. The tree needs direct sun and warm temperature to grow. They grow 3 to 4 feet in a year. The trees can be grown in pots with constant pruning. Water the pots twice a day and fertilize once a year.
*Mimosoidae – A subfamily of the legume family, Leguminosae; members of this family are largely woody and tropical or subtropical with regular flowers and usually numerous stamens.
